8-story office building near Woodfield slated for demolition
Anticipated changes to the outskirts of Schaumburg's Woodfield Mall this summer include rezoning of the restaurant campus on the southeast corner of Golf and Meacham roads and the demolition of the eight-story office building just south of it.
A demolition permit has been obtained for the vacant office building at 1000 Plaza Drive, but there are no pending plans for what will replace it, Schaumburg Community Development Director Julie Fitzgerald said.
The office building site is a separately owned property from the neighboring 3.7-acre restaurant campus, which includes the former Panera Bread and Chevys Fresh Mex buildings as well as Bar Louie. The site's owners are asking the village for a rezoning that would expand their redevelopment options.
Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly said village officials are aware of the opportunity that could be created by having two adjacent properties in the process of changing uses, but there's no indication their owners are collaborating.
Meanwhile, village trustees Tuesday directed staff to prepare an ordinance for their approval on Aug. 11 that would rezone the restaurant campus.
The rezoning would allow a greater variety of uses - particularly retail - than the current zoning which is largely limited to offices and restaurants.
Officials are talking with property owner Tim Gallagher about restricting certain types of business - such as auto repair shops - the village doesn't want on such a prominent corner, Dailly said. Such a list would have to be included with the rezoning approval on Aug. 11 to carry any legal weight, officials said.
Even though a wider variety of businesses might appear on the corner in the future, Shabu-You Japanese restaurant already has been approved to move into the former Chevys building. Gallagher also recently told the village that a breakfast and lunch restaurant had signed a letter of intent to move into the former Panera Bread, pending approval of some additions to the building.
Gallagher said the Bar Louie is in default on its payments and likely to be evicted soon. Offices of a financial advisor, a business type that would not require the planned rezoning, recently expressed some interest in the Bar Louie site, he added.
Gallagher requested the rezoning after telling village officials that the current zoning put the site at a competitive disadvantage in the area. The property is the only one among 38 along that section of Schaumburg's Golf Road corridor with its particular zoning.